Vehicle Question

1. The Triax GB's boom gun does not go as fast as the USA-G10s but it says that it does the same damage. Is this correct? Also can it burst? And if it can, can the USA-G10?

Answer: Yes it does the same damage, even though the rounds are slightly slower. No the boom gun cannot burst, and is restricted to only a single canister/fletchette round per firing.

2. When the Solar Combat Armor (South America 2) has it's plasma shield engaged, would rail gun rounds and other projectiles be vaporized before they hit the armor? I know that the armor will still be hit by the blast area of missiles.

Answer: Even though the rounds will be affected by the plasma, they will be traveling through it fast enough that there will be little to no chance of a MDC round being destroyed. SDC based attacks would be vaporized.

3. I have a few questions on some missed info. For example in Dimension Book Two: Phase World, the psionic armor made by the noro, the description says that it can create a psi-sword. there is no stat in the weapon systems.

Answer: The psi-sword was accidentally left out. It costs 10 I.S.P. and lasts for 1 hour. It inflicts 1D4 x 10 M.D.

4. Does Coalition Skelebots have hardened electronics versus an EMP pulse if not what would be the effect

Answer: They would be hardened.

5. The Glitter Boy killer has 10 Missile tubes listed in the MDC Damage section yet it has no mention of them in the Weapons section. Could you please advise me on the stats for these, ie. how many missiles the tubes hold, etc.

Answer: The Glitter Boy Killer Armor is armed with 10 missiles. These have a maximum range of 1 mile, a 15 ft. blast radius, a speed of 1200 mph, and inflict 1D6x10 M.D.C.

6. What are the MDC for the legs and arms of the Triax Terrain Hopper and the Stingray Power Armor? Better yet, how would you figure out the MDC of the arms and legs of Power Armor if none is listed?

Answer: If no MDC is listed by location, allocate 20% for each leg, 15% for each arm, 5% for the head, and the rest to the main body.

7. Does the Triax Terrain Hopper (Both Versions) Have Auto-Dodge?

Answer: They do not possess Auto-Dodge.

8. Can a power armor be converted into a cyborg body? If not, why not?

Answer: It might require extensive alterations but such a conversion should be possible.

Answer: Borgs have armor that is intrinsic as opposed to power armor which, although providing protection, is not part of its wearer, regardless of how well trained he is in its use.

10. I notice that the speed for the NG Samson Power Armor was very high (150 mph) compare to almost every power armor in Rifts, such as the SAMAS (60 mph) and the German Jager (a massive 140 mph). Is this a misprint?

Answer: The speed of the Samson Power Armor is 150 mph.

11. When power armor is created, how does the writer figure out how much M.D.C. each section (i.e. arms, legs, etc) gets. Is each section a certain percentage of the main body or just a number which sound reasonable?

Answer: 20% per each leg, 15% per each arm, 25% for main body, and 5% for the head.

12. How long will the original Zentraedi mechas protoculture last for(how many years)?

Answer: 20 years

13. Many robots, especially those of the NGR, have a pilot and a gunner. Do you use the Hand to Handof one, or both. Does one dodge and the other shoot?

Answer: The Gunner is in charge of a number of weapons (generally listed). The Gunner uses their hand to hand attacks using their weapon systems, while the pilot uses their hand to hand attacks in piloting (dodging, punching etc).

14. I have a question for the Warlock Marine Combat Armor: How far underwater can it fly?

Answer: 1000 feet (305m), can fly at 100 mph (160 km/h)

15. What is the maximum depth a standard Glitter Boy can Stand Underwater?

Answer: Since it is not designed for deep sea operations, 450 feet (137m), you might want to incease the depth by 50% to account for its construction.

16. When a character with a high P.S. is using one of the lighter power armor suits, like the Terrain Hopper or Flying Titan, do use the armor's P.S. or the character's? Example a Juicer with a P.S. of 28 is using T-21 armor, P.S. 20. Do you use the higher number, or the armor's low one?

Answer: You are restricted to the power armors strength, using greater strength is likely to put stress on the PA systems and cause malfunctions.

17. What is the blast radius of a PA antimatter reactor and what is the damage inflicted?

Answer: Depends on the reactor involved. a good parallel is a anti-matter warhead (cruise missile) or the Annihilate spell as a basis.

18. PS requirements for weapons and the PS of Power Armor. Say an adventurer decides to purchase a suit of Triax Terran Hopper armor. Since this suit has no on-board weapons he will have to outfit it with a hand-held weapon, and decides he likes the Triax borg rail-gun. Now, since the rail-gun requires a PS of 24 to use, and the PA in question only has a PS of 20. Is this a legal combination?

Answer: The strength requirements still count even when using Power Armour. So the TX-500 cannot be used without a harness of some kind, or fired at a penalty to strike.

19. My question is; how is power armor operated? The pilot usually fills out the entire suit. Is it by thought or verbal commands, body motions, etc ?

Answer: Generally a combination of body movement and controls (verbal, physical or even mental in some cases).

20. Does the Glitter Girl form South America 2 book have pillons that it has to place into the ground or not?

Answer: It does not.

21. My character is considering buying a Behemoth Explorer Robot (from Rifts game book), but it lists the crew as 3. can one person pilot this thing, even with penalties?

Answer: One person could pilot it, but will have no control over the arms or weapon systems (if any).

22. Can the behemoth explorer from Rifts travel under water?

Answer: Yes, but it cannot float, and will sink, and walk along the bottom of the river/lake/sea. Travel deep enough and it will be crushed by incredible pressure. See Rifts Underseas.

23. Are the GB varients in Mutants in Orbit Pre-Rifts or Post-Rifts designs? The main question is, would these designs, or actual units, be on Earth anywhere?

Answer: These units have been designed and manufactured in space, after the coming of the Rifts. These units if available on Earth would be very rare, and in all probabilities have been rifted to Earth.

24. In Rifts relatively small suits of power armor have up to 300+ M.D.C, My question is if a REF Alpha veritech was rifted to earth would it's MDC increase, it would seem that these huge vehicles should have close to a thousand MDC. What would be a good way to convert it, ie multiply it by 2, 1 1/2

Answer: They will not increase, but they can have additional armour added in. See Rifts Conversion Book One for details.

25. The 'A1 Avenger' Power Armour in Phaseworld Sourcebook 1 has a 200mdc force field, but there are no details about it (like its recharge rate etc) in the description. What are the details please.?

Answer: Treat the Force Field like a Naurni Force Field.

26. Can an Excaliber Destroid fire both Particle Beam Cannons simultaneously (Like the Zentraedi pods)? If so can other mecha with dual arm weaponry, like the M.A.C. II, the Raidar X, The Officer's pod, and the female power armor, can they fire their arm weapons simultaneously

Answer: It is up to the individual GM, if arm weapons can be linked. Normally with most systems like that, it is very hard to do, since they are considered separate turrets with separate controls, and are not really linked together for dual firing (unless otherwise stated).

27. What happens to the pilot when his veritech's head is destroyed in battloid mode?

Answer: Nothing happens, apart from losing optics. The pilot is not in the head, but in the chest of a Veritech.

28. In Heroes Unlimited 3rd ed. do all types of robots have a 'natural, AR? Do power armor, exoskeletons, androids, robot suits, etc, have different AR's?

Answer: All Robot and Vehicle AR is considered Natural AR.

29. How do you determine the horror factor of borgs and robots?

Answer: Most such systems do not have horror factors. However, is designed to look like a existing monster, they will have a equivalent horror factor. If not it would generally rage from 9-13.

30. There are several mentions of Transient Maneuvering Speed in various places in the book. In the Air-to-Air combat section, it says that T.M.F. is described in the "Building the Super Vehicle" section, but I can't seem to be able to find it anywhere.

Answer: The most comprehensive chart for T.M.F. is on pg. 4 of TMNT Guide to the Universe (cat. #508). In general, a T.M.F. can range from 1 (Cargo transports and 4-engine bombers) to 5 (combat fighters and stunt planes). Just extrapolate from those for other aircraft.

31. In Coalition War Campaign the "War Bird" does 1d6x10, 2d6x10, and 3d6x100 with it's front guns. Is this certain it is a miss type?

Answer: The correct amount is 3D6x10, the errata correction is on page 111 of the Rifter #3.

32. Does the shadow Alpha Fighter's energy gun from Robotech disable magic shields in Rifts/magic dimensions or are they immune?

Answer: Yes, they affect all forcefields

33. XM-288 Supersonic Transport. Why have the vehicles never been stolen or have never fallen into enemy hands? And what is stopping the Coalition States from stealing them and using them for themselves? Also, is the NGR the ones who put the pilots in charge of the jets? Or does the Coalition have someone to pilot them? Maybe a little of both?

Answer: The transports are owned and operated by the NGR military, or the Triax Corporation. The vehicles have never fallen into enemy hands since the operate only from secured bases and piloted by trusted pilots from the NGR. As for the CS stealing them, doing so, would cause a diplomatic incident between the CS and the NGR, probably causing trade between the two nations to cease, and maybe NGR throwing their weight behind Quebec (another trading partner).

34. My question deals with the speed of a vehicle going through a dense forest, like the forests in KY. For example, the Mountaineer ATV has a max speed of 120 mph. Does it mean it can go through these dense forests, which usually have no workable roads, at that speed? If not, what sort of modification to a vehicles speed should be made in passing through areas like this?

Answer: The listed speed is only available on open roads and hard open terrain. Safe speeds through trains or broken roads is limited to 45 mph or below, while traveling through dense forests is restricted to 15-20 mph. dense forest may prevent vehicle travel altogether. M.D. weapons in this case can be used to blaze trails, increasing speed and travel.

35. Can the Packmaster Carrier travel at FTL speeds in the Phase World Sourcebook?

Answer: Yes it can. 6 LY per hour

36. Have you considered printing stats for the Tristar Class Battlewagon for Southern Cross in the Rifter? (It was Emerson's flagship)

Answer: None were printed as we no longer have the Robotech license none can be made.

37. Can any one tell me the difference between a Strike Veritech and a Strike Valkrie?

Answer: The name veritech was used in the Americanized series called Robotech. The Valkyrie was the original name for the transformable fighters from the original Macross Series which was also made into Macross plus, Macross 7 as well as Macross 2.

38. Can a ship in FTL use sensor to detect a ship or object in normal space, or another ship in FTL. I need to know because I'm typing up space encounter tables and world generator for Phase World.

Answer: Only large gravity fields can be detected while in FTL space (going way to fast to pick up normal ships), but other ships in FTL flight can be picked up/detected.

39. Is there an Auto-destruct on CS vehicles? (ie the Mark IV APC)

Answer: Yes there would be.

40. I was reading... somewhere, that there is a tank called the Shield Bearer Missile Tank. I believe I read about it in either the Phase World, or Phase Source, Book. I haven't been able to discover its statistical location. Can you help?

Answer: The Shield Bearer missile tank was omitted from Phase World, it may appear in a future supplement.

41. Is the Garfish a spaceship with facilities for cooking, sleeping and recreation or just a shuttle

Answer: There would be facilities for sleeping, cooking and recreation on a Garfish.

42. Would like to know what kind of bonuses and controls do the pilots of an REF Alpha/Beta "legios" gain for remaining in that form? It's nice that the one unit gets all the firepower of the two Veritechs but it doesn't state which veritech controls the legios fighter or what kind of bonuses the legios gets. Can you shine some light on how this works.

Answer: The pilot of the Alpha fighter controls the legios combination. In early testing the beta was just a big booster unit. There are no special bonuses to the legios combination.

43. How do you make your custom super vehicles go underwater?

Answer: Getting the book Ninjas and Superspies will assist you here.. From Ninjas and Superspies Submersible Water Capability $175,000 speed class 1 in the water, and can function like a submarine max depth 200ft. The pilot and passengers must wear scuba gear or a Pressurized Cabin must be bought

44. What is the damage of a nuclear vehicle does and the radius of the explosion, and does it change with the # of years it lasts?

Answer: Destruction of a nuclear powered vehicle will not cause a explosion unless there is some other reason, like ammunition explosion or the self destruct device going off. In cases where a nuclear powered vehicle is destroyed, there is only a small chance that the nuclear power pack is breached or even destroyed. If a breach does occur it will not explode but it will contaminate the area with deadly radiation. Clean Up crews can do clean up operations to remove breached and intact nuclear power plants. Note: Nuclear power plants in vehicles etc are often well armored, and generally can only be targeted once the main body of the bot/vehicle is depleted.

45. In Rifts Mercenaries there are some Coalition Vehicles described. Are these vehicles still in use with the New Coalition Army?

Answer: Some like the aircraft are in use in the CS military, others were experimental units. They can still be found in the ordnance lists of the army, and some units may still be equipped with them.

46. Also can a Robotech starship be converted to another power source, say nuclear or antimatter, and still be able to spacefold?

Answer: It is up to the GM whether a Robotech Starship can fold without protoculture.

47. How would the bugs from System Failure affect the mecha of Robotech that use protoculture?

Answer: They will still be able to take control of them, since they also use conventional electricity.

48. Does an A.T.V. Speedster with a nuclear engine require resting periods to cool? And is there a danger that the engine can "crack" and leak radiation? I was under the impression that most vehicles with a nuclear power source had a safety measure that prevents it.

Answer: Generally no cooling period is required if taking it easy, otherwise resting every 12 hours or so is recommended (to cool the exhausts and not the engine). There is no danger of the engine cracking and releasing radiation unless it is damaged (in combat, high speed crash etc).

49. Just a small question concerning the nature of hover vehicle technology. Can hovercraft fly or do they propel themselves along upon a cushion of air. If the latter is true how does this affect movement over water etc?

Answer: Most hovercraft use a Vectored Thrust system so they can operate over water, or limited flight. There are very few ground effect hovercraft in Rifts., and even then ground effect hovercraft can operate on water (many need some sort of skirt to do so though).

50. Which stats are correct for the Splugorth Slaver the ones from Atlantis of the ones from Source Book 1? In Atlantis the main body is HP but a 130 or 150 (I can't remember which) MDC force field pops into place before a shot can hit and it regenerates in 15 seconds. In Sourcebook 1 the body has 300 MDC. Which stats should I use?

Answer: Use the stats from Rifts Atlantis, since it came out after Sourcebook One. however high ranking or powerful minions may be MDC granted through other magic, or Splurgorth bio-wizard Transmutation.

51. Is the Main Body M.D.C. of the Packmaster carrier in Phase World Source book is correct, it seems low, and is it suppose to have shields.

Answer: Yes it is correct. They do not have shields since they are a carrier, and shields would interfere with fighter launchers. Also they are not a front line combat unit and will stand back from combat relying on their protective screen of support ships and fighters.

52. Triax, pg 138, Triax MZ-10 under length 9 ft. this can't be of course so what is the length, width, and height.

Answer: It is probably meant to read 19 feet, width is probably 6 foot across, and around 5-6 foot high.

53. I am using the Cadillac Gauge V-300 Commando Personnel Carrier out of The Compendium of Contemporary Weapons. What I need to know is whether it is diesel or "unleaded" and what is its tank size.

Answer: I have no idea as to tank size, but it is a Diesel engine "Cummins VT-504 270-hp liquid cooled turbocharged V-8 diesel engine".

54. Do the aircars in Century Station run on gasoline?

Answer: (Bill Coffin) Yep! Although off the cuff, I'd say they probably run off a hybrid gas-electric engine (much like those new Toyotas that are going to hit the market in about a year) that get super efficiency; This enables them to fly on ordinary gas.

55. Regarding the "thinking cap" of the VF-1. Is it similar to the BCS (brain control system) of the YF-21 from Macross Plus?

Answer: The Thinking cap was a product of the Novels I believe, and is not part of the RPG.

56. Do the alphas have nose lasers? because in the closing credits of the Robotech cartoon, two laser like weapons are fired.

Answer: They have what weapons are listed in their description.

57. In Macross II, the Metal Siren has a spear. is it possible to a stabbing attack with the spar, fire the plasma, and shoot the MS-50 at the same time? And is it possible to ram another mecha with the spear in jet mode? If so, can you fire the plasma at the same time you ram them? how much damage would be done to the Metal Siren if it didn't destroy the other mech?

Answer: It is possible to do stabbing strikes with the spear (4D6 MD). No you cannot do all three in one action since they are not linked weapons. Ramming is possible, but not firing simultaneously (ram then fire is a possibility) damage inflicted to the Metal Sired would probably be around the 4-6D6 MD mark.

58. How is it Macross II mechs are nuclear and Robotech mechs are still protoculture? What would happen if you made a VF nuclear?

Answer: They are two different series. Though related. In the original Macross series, the Veritechs etc were all nuclear powered, and when 3 different series were linked to produce Robotech in America, Protoculture was made the fuel source. However the original Japanese cartoon and its sequels, and clones etc, used nuclear power.

59. How many ISP are required to activate the force field on the Noro powered armor and what is it's duration?

Answer: The psi-PA force field can be activated by spending 8 I.S.P. points and lasts for 1 hour.

60. Is the Glitter Boy armor suit considered a robot(40,000cr per 10MDC) or power armor (8,000cr per 10MDC) for repair purposes?

Answer: It is considered Robot for repair bills.

61. The RDF VTOLs listed in Robotech Book Eight: Strike Force. What is the piloting skill to use? Is it pilot jet or some other skill. In the anime a VT in Guardian Mode operates almost like a jet. Also what is the power plant for the VTOLs; Nuclear, Protoculture, Conventional, or a hybrid?

Answer: Pilot Jet for the RDF VTOLs is appropriate. Power plants for the hybrids could be nuclear, or protoculture.

62. I had a question about the Glitter Boy being able to roll with the punch and dodging. GB wins initiative, fires at enemy and hits, then the enemy fires missiles back and also hits. Can the GB roll with the punch on this, or try to dodge this using up his next action? I'm wondering does the recoil suppression system prevent him from doing either of these.

Answer: Rolling or dodging is possible (the recoil suppression system is able to be retracted automatically after firing).

63. Can the Glitter Boy's helmet be removed by someone trying to get at the pilot? Or is it removable at all?

Answer: The head is locked in place when the armour is operational, however the head can be targeted through called shots to get to the pilot.

64. How do you get into a Glitter Boy power armor suit? Does it open like the exoskeletons from exosquad or what?

Answer: The center of the suit (chest area) opens up allowing the pilot to climb into the suit.

65. Could a Glitter Boy use its pylons on Wormwood because of the "living planet"?

Answer: Yes they can use their pylons on Wormwood.

66. We have a Glitter Boy in our group, and have come to depend on the fire power he adds to our group. We got into a fight and over the coarse of the battle our he took a total of 780 points to main body. The GM ruled that because he was shooting the boom gun, he was unable to dodge or roll with the punch. We find nothing stating how long it takes to deploy the pylons and retract them, so my question is can he do either dodge or roll with the punch( for the rockets he was hit with) and when his main body is reduced to zero.

Answer: The Laser Pylons are deployed immediately, but can be automatically retracted after firing. This will allow them to fire, dodge, then fire again (using the normal combat sequence). However, if in a secure firing position, the pylons can be fixed, in that case no dodge or roll is possible.

67. The VF Fighter carries ammo clips for the GU-11?! Where are the ammo clips stored. How many can a pilot take into battle?

Answer: They are in the leg compartments, generally 3-4 spare clips can be carried.

68. The Advanced Audio System for robotics in HU2 says you get abilities equal to Extraordinary Hearing, but and this has been the topic of some debate, does this mean you get the bonuses from the super power also?

Answer: You do get the bonuses.

69. Generally Robotech Mecha are very agile, responding to the thoughts of the user, however only a certain few mecha can leap dodge. It seems that in Macross II most mecha can leap dodge. Should it be inferred that Macross II mecha are more advanced than Robotech mecha, or was it merely a change in Palladium's approach to anime mecha combat. In other words would a VF-1 have leap dodge in Macross II? What are your thoughts?

Answer: Macross 2 Mecha are about 80 years more developed than 1st generation Robotech weapons.

70. How do missiles fire from their launchers in the case of multiple rocket pods like on the Gladiator, or Alpha Fighter. Does the player choose what launcher he fires his missile from, or is their a set firing pattern?

Answer: There would be a set pattern.

71. In Warlords of Russia the Borg Bike looks nothing like what it is described as what happened?

Answer: The bike shown is a beat up bike, which is missing the AR-44 Rail Gun from the shoulder mount, with 2 fitted on either side of the bike. and the lance is missing. Many bikes of different types are often customized by their riders/owners.

72. In Robotech, how are the Raider X's rate of fire numbers for the laser arms supposed to work? The book states that the Raider X is the only mecha that has more weapon attacks than hand-to-hand attacks. How would this translate into game terms?

Answer: When using their weapon arms, that replaces their normal attacks per melee.

73. In the Invid Invasion supplement Lancer's Rockers there is a picture of an E.B.S.I.S. mecha on page 24 but no stats are given for such a mecha. Are they available?

Answer: It is the Krugatch Annihilator (p38).

74. Where do I find how much it is to recharge or replace the entire nuclear power plant, in a Robot or a vehicle? My group has found an old base and have found 2 USA-10 G.B.'s. Their sources are dead. How do I figure what to charge for replacing or recharging them?

Answer: Such systems generally start for around 1 million credits and go up to 10 million based on type, plus labor charges to install.

75. On the Taurus Glitter Boy it says on optional weapons it can use a boom gun. Does that mean it can use two Boom Guns or only One Boom Gun. If so is there any penalties or bonus.

Answer: Only one Boom Gun can be used.

76. Does the psionic shielding of the SAMAS and Glitter Boy protect the pilot from the hypnotic gaze powers of a vampire?

Answer: No, since direct eye to eye contact can be made. If direct optics is obscured and video cameras are used, then the hypnotic powers of the vampires are not effective.

77. Since the Turbo Wing Glider is a fusion of Magic and primarily a mechanical device, would it be possible for an Operator to install a custom made Naruni forcefield into it?

Answer: It would be possible.

78. If you were to install a contragravity pack, like the one the Silverhawks have, on a Glitter Boy could he fire the boom gun without using his thrusters for support?

Answer: Thrusters would still be required. while the CG pack may allow fight, it cannot cope with the recoil.

79. The cyclone in Robotech RPG Book Five, what happens if the head armor is destroyed?

Answer: The Pilots head is now exposed and can be targeted.

80. In the section on Helicopters in the HU2 GM Guide, on page 222, just to the right of the listing for the M-21 coordinated system, there is a partial listing for a helicopter, but the first half seems to be missing.

81. The Proctor-Class Long-Range Interceptor says it has an "advanced stealth system" but this is no stats for it. Can you please supply?

Answer: Stealth systems are described on page 153 of the Phase World Main book.

82. I was wondering. For vehicles that have ejector seats (like Veritechs, jet fighters and some other robot vehicles), does it take a melee action/attack to eject or do they do so automatically/character may do as a "free" action.

Answer: If the seat is on automatic, then no action needs to be taken, if the ejection needs to be done manually then it will take an action.

83. Is the damage listed for the Glitter Girls explosive rounds really only 2D6 MDC? Or is it supposed to be 2D6x10 MDC?

Answer: It is correct as listed.

84. Under the heading Engines and Propulsion Systems (pg 203) in HU2nd ed., for additional altitude costs you have listed that each 100 feet of altitude costs $50 and then show that 10,000 feet would cost $500,000. That huge price would suggest that it costs $50 per foot of additional altitude. What is the correct pricing for additional altitude?

Answer: It should be 50 per 100 feet.

85. In the weapon listings for the Tomahawk MK II, weapon number 2. Top Cannons: Low-Powered Lasers (2) the mega-damage listing is as follows: Mega-Damage: 4D6 x10 M.D. for a single blast or 1D6 x10 for a triple-pulse (a triple-pulse counts as a burst and is less accurate in striking it's target). Tell me... Is the difference in damage the result of this "inaccuracy", or did someone swap damage ratings on accident?